china is raising a lot of questions and tensions with its latest operation in the south china sea. cnn gets an exclusive look at the progress ahead. >> also, concerns over what will become the ancient city of palmyra now that isis has moved in. >> television legend signs off for the final time. david letterman says good-bye. welcome to our viewers here in the u.s. and around the world. we are your anchor team for two hours. i'm errol barnett. >> i'm rosemary church.

thank you for joining us. this is "cnn newsroom." a u.s. military plane conducting surveillance over south china sea gets a blunt warning "leave right now." the plane was flying over a group of man-made island where the u.s. fears china is building a military installation. a cnn crew got the exclusive while on board. >> reporter: a standoff in the skies between china and the u.s. as beijing makes a massive unprecedented land grab 600 miles from its coast. >> when is the last time you went up? >> reporter: cnn got access to classified u.s. surveillance flights over the island. first time journalists have been allowed on an operational mission by the state of the art

plane. >> we arrived at the three island the targets of the mission. three island the focus of china's building in the south china sea over reecen years. in two years, china has expanded the island by 2,000 acres. equivalent of 1,500 football field and counting. you're a military man, you look at this, any doubt that is a future military installation. >> it appears to be build up of military infrastructure. >> for china the territory is non-negotiable. the commitment unshakeable. china defend the new island closely patrolling with coast guard and navy warships. ordering the pa out of the airspace eight times on this one mission alone. >> please go away. >> united states military aircraft. i am operating as required under international law.

chinese military some times shows its frustration. >> the standoff is military to military. civilian aircraft can be caught in the middle. >> you heard over the intercom chinese navy, this is the chinese navy. what was interesting is that they're also civilian aircraft, a delta flight on that same frequency that when it heard the challenge it piped into the frequency say to say what is going on. the chinese navy then reassuring them. but as the the flight crew tells me that can be a very nerve-racking experience for civilian aircraft in the area. five southeast asian nations claim parts of this area as their own. china says this territory is part of their history claiming ownership back 2,000 years. >> we recognize that as, as anything to dupe with in accordance with international law. >> reporter: many see economic and military motives as well.

the islands are rich in oil and gas deposits. and they extend china's naval and air presence, challenging u.s. naval supremacy in the region. experts say this incident could be a catalyst for rising tensions between the two countries. and that a simple threat could escalate into something far more serious. >> its behavior threatens to set a precedent where larger nations are free to provoke smaller ones it can present tension, instability and can lead to conflict. >> i saw a study of all the times in history when a rising power, this case, china, comes up against a status quo power in this case the united states. 70% of the times in history the result has been war. so only 30% of the time has it been worked out. >> the odd are for war? >> the fundamentaler to we are

talking about here. how important this 'tis. >> you think war is a real risk? >> yes, absolutely. >> war between the united states and china. >> that's neot in our interest, or their interest. it's in our interest to work this out. absolutely a risk. >> very sobering assessment there. the chinese government has not responded to the incident. the u.s. has launched a fresh round of air strikes on the iraqi city of ramadi. you'll recall just a few days ago it fell to isis. it is trying to keep the terror group from pushing farther to the east towards baghdad. senior international cope, arwa damon reports. >> reporter: the iraqi government has been tryingty to reassure citizens it has the situation relatively speaking under control when it comes to preventing isis from advancing further towards the capital. the government has been scrambling to try to end send reinforcements to the various front lines in al anbar

province. trying to beef up its presence at a military base in an area, located between, ramadi and falluja, isis has been trying to launch various smaller scale attacks on towns in that area. for now, we hear from the iraqi government that those front lines are holding but they do need reinforcements. reinforcements amount this stage will not necessarily be in the form of iraqi security forces. the government lacks sca s capa units in its ranks but potentially in the form of the mobilization. paramilitary force, shia critical when it came to the battle to rewin tikrit. also what is needed is for the iraqi government off to begin to significantly arm the sunni tribes. even if all this does materialize at the end of the day. we are talking about a fighting force that does not have a specific military command structure.

navigating the battlefield is going to be incredibly difficult. the battle for ramadi is going to be nothing like the battle for tikrit. this is something that has the to materialize very quickly. because isis has proven that it is capable of adapting to the dynamics on the ground. the concern is that, by trying to push towards bag chdad it wi bog down the fighting force along various front lines and potentially leave it vulnerable elsewhere. arwa damon, cnn, baghdad. >> the u.s. will deliver a new shipment of anti-tank weapons to iraq next month. a state department official tells reuters the shoulder fired missiles are meant to prevent bombings like isis used to capture ramadi. the unnamed source says the terror group carried out at least 30 car and truck bombings, some as big as the truck bomb that killed 168 people in oklahoma city back in 1995.

the u.s. promised iraq's prime minister it would ship the weapons during his visit to washington in a april. >> isis has taken control of syrian city and the ancient ruins of near palmyra. many are worried the terror group will destroy the city's artifacts like in the iraqi cities of mosul. >> yes has been closing in on palmyra for weeks. senior international correspondent, fred plankin reports. >> reporter: syrian jets pound isis positions in the town only a few hundred meters away from ancient ruins of palmyra. the unielesco site now threaten by the extremist group. syrian government forces are trying to push the insurgent fighters back. in cooperation with our brothers

in the armed forces we are making every effort to protect palmyra. >> reporter: ancient palmyra influenced by roman, greek, persian cultures. now in the cross hairs of isis extremists. isis posted these pictures online. allegedly showing its fighters inside the town. while the syrian regime says it is sending reinforcements to the battlefield its antiquities chief is not taking any chances. moving many artifacts to safer locations. we put in place efficient procedures in the last period he said and saved hundred of exponentially beautiful statues under fire by snipers. isis has already destroyed many ancient treasures both in iraq and in syria. the group posted videos showing its fighters ransacking the museum in mosul and first breaking down and then blowing up the ancient town of nimrud. leading unesco to fear the same

fate could await palmyra should isis draw forces out. >> i don't know what will happen in palmyra. i am very worried, alarmed by what is happening. let's hope that this wonderful monument will not be destroyed. >> the battle for palmyra has been going a week. now it seems isis is closer than ever to seizing this ancient city and possibly erasing this cultural treasure like it has done with others in the past. to the united nations now, and police have identified a suspect in a quadruple murder at a washington mansion just a short distance away from the vice president's residence. a 34-year-old man is wanted on first degree murder charges. police believe more than one suspect is involved. a source says the couple their son and housekeeper suffered blunt force trauma before the house was set on fire.

a source says who ever did it got away with $40,000. the ceo of a building materials manufacturer. >> now we are learning details about the investigation into that deadly amtrak train derailment. one law enforcement source tells cnn philadelphia police wanted to arrest engineer brandon bostain last tuesday the night the accident happened. but investigators at that time said, the arrest would be premature. they now have bostain's cell phone going through phone record to determine if any phone calls or texts were made while operating the train. eight people were killed when that train derailed. >> new detailed now in the investigation into unsun dsunda biker gang shootout in texas that left nine dead. a motorcycle member, jeff battie, the first under arrest to post the $1 million bond required to get out of jail. >> we are learning more about the suspects held in connection

with the violence along with weapons seized and their strange hiding places. >> reporter: days after the brawl, workers washed blood off the sidewalk of the restaurant. bullet holes in the walls, half consumed drinks and beer cozies with bike gang names recognizable. they recovered guns, wands and abatons. >> honest citizens don't hide 1,000 plus firearms, honest citizens aren't going to hide a firearm or knife in bags of flour, law-abiding sit sent isn't going to go into the restaurant restroom and try to stuff handguns in toilets. that happened inside twin peaks sunday. >> what does that suggest to you about people here? >> these were vicious criminals who knew they were in trouble trying to dispose of evidence. >> reporter: 170 arrested are tin the 20s to 65 years old.

from the state of texas all walks of life. their biker lifestyle visible in their mug shots. wesley mcallister, age 7 3 2, the word chaos tattooed on his neck. also arrested george earl rogers, 52 years old. a rap sheet that include charges of aggravated assault. >> what was in that restaurant, sunday afternoon, is not a motorcycle club of doctors, lawyers, laymen, honest, law-abiding citizens. >> reporter: there was a retired cop. san antonio police detective martin lewis. 32 years and officer, a grandfather. who has pictures on facebook wearing bandito gear. >> when i heard that miss morning it made me sick to my stomach. >> also a pharmacy tech. 65-year-old lawrence yaeger, his license retired due to retirement. he has no criminal history. a few women. sandra lynch, aka, drama. member of the motorcycle club,

married to michael lynch, also arrested. they are grandparents sharing a love for biking and twin peaks. drama pictured here on a facebook post with the scantily clad waitresses. their son tells cnn they're not criminals, not gang members. they were at twin peaks for a monthly meeting. he says, everyone there is not a thug. my parents are not thugs. i think this is injustice to have so many people in jail. none of the defendants have had their day in court. the defendant's families, cnn reached said the $1 million bail is ridiculous and unfair. still to come for you here on skrchcnn inside the mind of bin laden. newly released documents reveal some of the al qaeda leaders biggest plans and things that worried him. >> hear from thailand's prime minister after the government pushed back the electtion again. he gives a rare interview. that's still to come.

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returning the country to democracy. the prime minister seized control of the government in a bloodless coup last year. >> now in a rare interview he talks to andrew stevens about thailand's future. >> the streets of bangkok last year in the days immediately after thailand's military seized power in a coup. anger from pro government protesters relief for opposition supporters. declaring martial law, promising a return to democracy. a year later, the protesters are long gone, streets are quiet, and prime minister as he is now, continues to talk of a return to democracy. the question is when and how. in a rare interview with an international news channel, he outlined the road map for thailand's future. >> i want to use this opportunity to tell the world the reason why am here working

right now. i have nef been against democracy in the western world or eastern world. i have been in the military all my life under a democratic system. i have supported any government in the past. but the previous government could not move the country forward. we have a road map to democracy. it says, that whenever the final constitution is presented to the king, and the king endorses it, it will lead to elections within the planned time frame. there could be other delays. if parts of the constitution are rejected by national reform committee. i'm not trying to resist, or delay, or meddle with this at all. i don't want to be in power. but i was the only one that could deal with the problems facing thailand at the time under the legal system of this country. are you fully committed to returning thailand to full democracy, power back to the

people? >> i reaffirm as i have always, that our country must be fully democratic. but, as a constitutional monarchy. we must build the thai democracy to be strong, sustainable and have peace without conflicts happening again and for the country to prosper. >> when the thai form of democracy is returned, how do you ensure that thailand does not go back to -- what it was before. protests on the street. the government not working. violence. >> i am confident in what i am doing. whether it will be successful is up to the thai people. they must determine their own feature. >> you lifted martial law in

thailand. it has been replaced with, with a, constitution of interim constitution. which include article 44. which gives you pretty much absolute power in thailand. why do you need article 44. why do we need section 44. without it be can barely work to. change the structure and ways to govern. we must have desigh scisive pow. i never abused power to harm any one, to kill any one. to execute any one. i never think about that. they are all thai. i forgive them all. >> reporter: the question is how forgiving the thai people will be. most want a return to democratic process. no one here wants a rerun of what happened a year ago. >> now, rosemary that road map, the general prime minister was talking about there. he was saying that, he expected

elections in early 2016, february t. 2016. since that interview. a few days ago the government said that that timetable has now been pushed back to, august of the earliest. because there has to be a referendum on the constitution. it keeps on pushing back. very, very difficult at this stage to nail down with any certainty when there will be those elections. >> yeah, looks that way. andrew how is the new administration trying to bring the gap between the two. the red shirts and yellow shirts. >> yeah, that its the crux of this. this is the reason-- the, the military stage that coup in the first place. he kept referring to 60% of thailand being low income people. and many of those living in rural areas. and these of course were the support base for -- for the, for the red shirts if you like. the party link. and he says these people were a

priority for his add strax. didn -- administration. very soon after the military took power they honored an agreement which had been forged by the previous government. to pay farmers under a controversial rice subsidy scheme. ironically, that scheme has led to, actually appearing on trial over corruption charges. not her personally. the fact that he oversees a, oversaw a program that was corrupt. they did carry the program through to get to the farmers. whether it will work is another thing. he said clearly, we cannot go back to -- what it was before. so that again, points to the fact that, unless he, the general, the prime minister is happy, confident that you are not going to have that. that, the military are likely to stay in power. that could be for some time. >> we will be watching the future of democracy in thailand. many thaks to yo-- many thanks

you, andrew stevens reporting from taiwan. >> new information into cnn. chinese state media is reporting three people are dead and at least 16 are still missing at this hour. landslide triggered by heavy rains caused a nine-story residential building to collapse in china wednesday. rescue crews are sifting through mangled rubble trying to find more survivors. government officials say 98 people have been found safe. you see though the collapsed building there. they say cell phone signals of some of the missing have the been traced back to the site of the collapse. >> well the heavy rains that led to this disaster are all part of the seasonal storms that batter east asia every may. meteorologist pedram javahari covering this. keeping a close eye on what is happening. pedram, the devastation?

>> when it comes to may, june, july, usually this portion of asia, generally, actually in sear year china. this particular area, densely populated. ancient chinese would tell you about the pattern, many, many, years ago, hundred of years ago. we have warm, moist area. andrew stevens live shot. dense fog across portions of hong kong, victoria harbor. cool dry air out of inner mongolia. where they in the act. compresses the air. sets up fog and squeezes moisture. ancient chinese call this direct translation for plum rains. they would know this sets up in the month of may. continues typically 40 or so days. when this happens they knew it was team to harvest the plum. pattern stretches thousand of kilometers. impacts a half dozen nations across the portion of the world. something you would see every

may. look at the setup. and look at the rapid incline and moisture and precipitation from may through october. you get the heavy rains. taper off drastically. here's how much we tabulated. 200 millimeters. 6 inches of rainfall that has come down in a 12 hour span. they're sitting below average for what they typically expect for this far into the season. guess what? active storm track across this area. we know the heavy rainfall is going to last quite some time over the region. of course with that, take a look at depictions how much rain has come down. some of the isolated spots. 400 millimeters of rainfall has come down. often take london, dubious distin tct distinction, rainfall, ten months of what london accumulate. they get it in 12, 24 hours. lead to disasters across portions of asia, guys.

>> just too much waltter. being absorbed. not possible. >> not possible. >> thank you, pedram. still to come, david letterman says good-bye off to the laid late showed. a lot of friends turned up to bid him farewell. >> some hope for migrants stranded at sea. details on the countries that have stepped up now to help them. next. ♪ ♪ rimy friends said i was crazy. why would i stay in someone else's house? but this morning, a city i've never been to felt like one i already knew. i just wanted to thank you for sharing your world with me. it felt like home. airbnb. belong anywhere.

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welcome back to those watching in the u.s. and all around the world. i'm errol barnett. >> i'm rosemary church. time to update you on the top

stories this hour. a u.s. military plane conducting surveillance over the south china sea was told to leave. the plane was flying over a group of man made islands when the u.s. fears china is building a military installation. the u.s. crew replied that they were flying in international airspace. >> this news just in to cnn. isis is now fully in control of the syrian city of tagmor and ancient ruins of palmyra. syrian government forces fled their positions as the terror group moved in. home to century's hold temples and statues many fear isis will destroy. >> an update on the deadly amtrak train derailment in philadelphia. one law enforcement source tells cnn that police wanted to arrest engineer brandon bostian last tuesday the night the accident happened. but investigators said that would be premature. they are now going through his phone record to determine

whether any phone calls or texts were made while he was operating that train. eight people died in the derailment. in indonesia the state news agency says the country's maritime authorities sank 41 fishing boats operating illegally in its waters. and this video captured one of those boats going down on wednesday. >> the move was part of the president's controversial campaign to protect indonesia's maritime resources and domestic fishing industry. for many years reports say foreign fishing boats have operated almost freely in indonesian waters. negatively impacting the nation's economy. >> malaysia's prime minister ordered search-and-rescue efforts for boats carrying migrants in a facebook post he says he wants to prevent further loss of life for those traveling and stranded at sea. >> this fol llows a statement fm indonesia and malaysia, offered

to temporarily shelter migrants as long as they're resettled or repatrioted within ape year. we are joined live from bangkok, tileland. -- thailand. there has been a change of heart, really, what prompted this now? >> errol, it couldn't come soon enough. i suspect a lot of international pressure. in those pictures you have seen beamed around the world. out at sea over a week now trying to trace the boats. those pictures of the people helpless, desperate, no food, no water, many of them out there for months we believe up to 7,000 people could be at sea. men, women and children, fleeing their homes. trying to get to land for a better life. now a lot of outrage of course against malaysia, thailand and indonesia for their push back policy. offer them food.

offer them waltter and tow them back out. ayou came to me, errol m just reading in on a press conference going on right now as we speak in jakarta, held by indonesian foreign ministry. reading in it says that, they never had an official stance to tow the boats back. we have seen evidence to the contrary the they said that is not an official stance. they're committed to helping 7,000 at sea, providing logistic shelter, and humanitarian aid. the key part, now, errol, rosemary, it says that they need financial assistance to handle this issue. especially from parties to the convention relating to the status of refugees. now basically what they're saying is, look, we're doing our bit now. that is indonesia and malaysia, not thailand. thailand will offer aid but no shelter. indonesia and malaysia are saying, look, doing our bit, we let them in.

we'll keep them for a year. but the international community must help. and so that's, that end we have heard from the united states so far saying they will do their best. reviewing the situation. and of course, where they now want to see, indonesia, malaysia, other countries saying, okay, we are ready to take these people in. errol, rosemary. >> we can't ignore myanmar today saying it is still unsure if it will participate in any upcoming meetings on this. mig many migrants, fleeing persecution there. myanmar will be central to the solution. can they afford to keep ignoring talks when you kid the u.s. is pressing them to participate in all of this? >> frankly, errol, they have been ignoring talks for decade now. this situation has been going on for many, many years. there has been cnn coverage of this years years about the persian cushithe persecution of the rohingya

people. myanmar does not recognize these people as a community or citizens of myanmar. so they, that's why they -- refused to even participate in these discussions. the spot light that has been put on now does feel like it may well tip the balance. which is why we are seeing at least some kind of response from the myanmar that they may participate in upcoming regional meetings and they want to, crack down on the migrant problem. errol, rosemary. >> as all the talks go on. thousand of people remain. as we speak. at sea live in bangkok, thailand. thank you. french naval rescue rescued 297 migrants from a fishing boat off the italian coast wednesday. 51 women and children on board. migrants handed over to italian authorities. reports say they're among more than 50,000 migrants from africa and the middle east who entered europe by sea this year.

and in search of a better life. >> on the same day the french rescue operation was taking place, cnn's christianea amamapour. listen as she explains the complexity of a migrant rescue operation. >> reporter: today we went by this ship, by speedboat and by helicopter. and they rescued 290 migrants fromm from air -- erritrea. to be here to bear witness to this is an extraordinary thing when you see the amount of effort the italian navy is putting into this humanitarian effort as it is right now.

it takes quite a long time to rescue a bet of 300 people. they have to check. make sure there is nothing hostile on board. then all of the naval personnel suit up in, in white hazardous materials suits with masks, gloves. all had how to do the same thing. in order to make sure you don't get contaminated by disease, illness. we do see one of those who tried to get across the safety today in this small, rickety boat, was dead on arrival. three others were taken to -- to the helicopter on the island o. they were given emergency care. the rest will be staying on board until they can be offloaded at the island or some where else. and then processed on land. >> christiane will be hosting a special edition of her show from the island where many rescued

migrants are taken. amanpour only here on cnn. >> why told you about a hunter who is facing harsh criticism for killing a black rhino. after the short break, you will find out what he did with the meat from this endangered animal. the u.s. government gives the public a look at dozens of documents taken from inside osama bin laden's compound. we'll show you what they found after this. ♪ ♪ at chase, we celebrate small businesses every day through programs like mission main street grants. last years' grant recipients are achieving amazing things. carving a name for myself and creating local jobs. creating more programs for these little bookworms. bringing a taste of louisiana to the world. at chase, we're proud to support our grant recipients, and small businesses like yours. so you can take the next big step.

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>> reporter: newly revealed in the now declassified bin laden papers, al qaeda sent agents to attack targets in united kingdom, europe and russia with emphasis on hitting americans whenever possible. so why did the attacks fail? according to the master terrorist it was bad luck. and god wasn't on our side. the papers show that in all the years since 9/11. bin laden's desire to strike am erica again. never let up. the main reason they continue to kill us is because we do not have the knowledge and resource to counter their technology. bin laden clearly feared the power of american drones. warning his commanders to change locations only under cloudy skies, to avoid detection. and he cautioned, we should be careful not to send big secrets

by e-mail because the enemy can easily monitor it. computer science is not our science. he distinctly saw any plan to establish an islamic state as premature and risky, writing his followers should be prepared for a long struggle. for things like food and water shortages. i am sure that you are aware that climate change is causing drought in some areas, and floods in others. his online library also revealed in the documents contain nearly 40 books in english including obama's wars by bob woodward, bloodlines of the illuminati and rise and fall of the great powers. and there is this. an application form for would-be jiha jihadis. asking about their education, families, hobbies and, do any of your family or friend work with the government? would they be willing to help us? do you wish to execute a suicide operation? who should we contact in case you become a martyr?

tom foreman, cnn, washington. now to a story many of you have been commenting on online. an american hunter has really stirred controversy for killing a black rhino. >> cory nolton paid $350,000 for a permit to hunt the endangered animal. nolton says he specifically targeted a rogue bull threatening the herd. conservationists say his actions have done more harm than good. despite the backlash about the message this sends. a small village in namibia celebrated him after he delivered the slain animal's meat. nolton plans to get the rhino's head preserves and may loan it to museums. >> nolton says his goal was also to bring awareness to the animal's endangered status. >> he spoke with cnn's erin burnett and explaned his reasons for hunting the rhino. take a listen. >> i've don't believe any single

act throughout modern history has brought more attention to an endangered species to this one i you are against it, for it, at least you are aware of the rhino and at least you are aware of the real dangers to it, being poaching and habitat infringement. the best way to do that is to n incentivize the locals. we fed a whole village with this for a long type. we employed local people. from, from america to africa as you well know, you have been around the world. you know the differences. it is giant. it's huge. and this, just to have that meat meant the world to those people. you understand finance. you covered that for a long time. if it pays it stachltz if it is valuable it is going to be there. that's why we have, we preserve things we value. we have so many cows. if these people put a value on the black rhino's life, alive or dead, it is an amazing thing. nobody put a lower, lower value

on it than the anti-hunting community. they could have came in and bid on it. they threatened bidders away. >> a lot of people having trouble with his justification. >> it doesn't fly. there are dozens of animal rights organizations who have worked tirelessly to lobby governments to get laws changed to lower the demand for rhino horn in asia. a multifaceted approach working. to go out, pay money to kill a rhino undercuts the argument. >> $350,000. >> let's be honest, the village would welcome any body who brings free meat. not in on the discussion. >> you are watching "cnn newsroom." still to come, david letterman does his final late show after 33 years on the air. but there were far more laughs than there were tears. back in a moment. is impactful?" t what the cloud enables

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>> letterman is retiring. >> you're just kidding, right? >> they're good. >> i mean only late show host david letterman could get five u.s. presidents to say good-bye. letterman gave his final show wednesday after more than 33 years on the air. it was just packed, jam packed with big names. >> it was. celebrities, steve martin, jerry seinfeld, read the trademark top ten list. the host spent most of the show reminiscing on big moments and thanking his staff and family for their support over the years. >> letterman picked his favorite band, the foo fighters as the show's last musical act. they came back while on tour even to do this. he ended his long run with a very simple, thank you, and good night. >> just like any other night. wasn't it. amazing. he was not emotional at all. >> he wasn't. >> letterman chose laughs

instead of tears, during most of his last episode. >> cnn spoke to fans who were at the final taping. >> david letterman walked off his late show stage. for the very last time. here at the ed sullivan theater wednesday afternoon he taped his sign-off show with a closing monologue that acknowledged his wife and son in the audience. there were lots of ordinary fans there as well. sitting next to cbs vips, here's what some of the fans told us. >> dave held his emotion back. he was teared up at the very end. when heap closed end of the evening. he came out to the audience and said thank you. he was tearful. turned around and walked away. i did notice he walked throughout the theater in the breaks to take a last look around. >> amazing. wonderful. very grateful i got an opportunity to be sitting in the final show. but just, emotions, memories will remany with me all the time. awe thought he was very poised. tried to keep the show light,

funny like a there mall late show that was entertaining for the crowd. then just in the end. sat at his desk. thanked everyone. sincerity cam ou sacerity came . true dave. we've been fans, 25, 30 years. >> some fans lucky to be here for the finale. though letterman did not tear up they did as they were leaving the theater here. there were also a big number of a list stars. all participating in a top ten list. of thing they wanted to tell letterman before he left. stars included jerry seinfeld, tina fey, julia loose is dreyfus, alec baldwin. able to leave afterward. they were mobbed some by the fans outside. just wanted to be here for a piece of history. this really is history for. letterman, end of an air rachlt -- era. may be back in television in the future. intense leap private guy.

hat he has not revealed anything. the staffers here packing up. they have to make room for replacements, stephen colbert and his staff take over premiering in the fall. great show. great reaction there too. and coming up in our next hour, "cnn newsroom," we will talk with cnn's brian stelter about high lights from dave's finale. >> saw he was at ed sullivan theater for the show. we'll get his take on all the great moments from wednesday night. >> you have been watching "cnn newsroom." i'm rosemary church. >> i'm errol barnett. we are not going anywhere. we'll be back with more of the world's biggest stories after this. a number. but not every insurance company understands the life behind it. ♪ those who have served our nation have earned the very best service in return. ♪ usaa. we know what it means to serve.

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frantic warnings from china after a u.s. surveillance plane flies too close to disputed island. plus, isis takes full control of an ancient syrian city putting century's old treasures at risk. >> late night legend. david letterman signs off for the last time. we'll bring you highlight from his final show. hello welcome to our viewers here in the united states and all around the world. i'm rosemary church. >> i'm errol barnett. thank you for joining us. this is "cnn newsroom."